WT/MIN(24)/6  
 
13 February 2024  
(24-1272) Page: 1/3 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
JOINT STATEMENT ON PROMOTING INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE TRADE THROUGH 
GENDER EQUALITY AND BUILDING A GENDER -RESPONSIVE WTO BY THE CO -CHAIRS  
OF THE INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND GENDER  
THIRTEEN TH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE  
The following statement, dat ed 13 February 2024, is being circulated on behalf of Cabo Verde , 
El Salvador and the United Kingdom . 
 
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1. We affirm that Women's Economic Empowerment is essential to sustainable development, 
GDP growth, poverty reduction and trade expansion;  
2. We recall the Statement on Inclusive Trade and Gender Equality from the Co -Chairs of the 
Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender ( WT/MIN(22)/7 ), released at the WTO 12th Ministerial 
Conference on 12 June 2022;  
3. We recall that gender equality is at the centre of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 
and are central to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda to finding solutions to worldwide 
challenges, while recognizing that women may face additional challenges and disproportionate 
barriers, particula rly of unpaid care and domestic work, to participate and to fully benefit from 
international trade;  
4. We recognize that multiple global crises have undermined the likelihood of many developing 
countries and LDCs to achieve the SDG by 2030;  
5. We reaffirm that a  systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation 
of the 2030 Agenda is crucial;  
6. We believe that the WTO, trade and gender -responsive trade policies play a significant role in 
achieving this agenda, and especially in realising Sustain able Development Goal 5 (on achieving 
gender equality and empowering all women and girls), in line with the objectives of the WTO, as 
stipulated in its preamble;  
7. We acknowledge that the work of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender is rooted 
in the following three documents:    
7.1. The Interim Report following the Buenos Aires Joint Declaration on Trade and Women's 
Economic Empowerment establishing the Informal Working Group on Trade and 
Gender in the WTO ( WT/L/1095/Rev.1 ), 25 September 2020;  
7.2. Statement on Inclusive Trade and Gender Equality from the Co -Chairs of the Informal 
Working Group on Trade and Gender ( WT/MIN(22)/7 ), 12 June 2022;  
7.3. MC12 Out come Document, Paragraph 13 ( WT/MIN(22)/24  WT/L/1135 ), 22 June 2022.  WT/MIN(24)/6  
 
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  8. We recall the four work pillars of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender as 
described in WT/L/1095/Rev.1 , including sharing best practice and experience on trade policies 
promoting women's economic empowerment, mainstreaming gender in the WTO, reviewing research 
and enhancing the integration of gender in Aid for Trade;  
9. We acknowledge tha t 130 WTO Members (representing 80% of the WTO membership) and 
seven  Government Observers participate in the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender;  
10. We recall the Rolling Work Plan of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender 
2023-2024 ( INF/TGE/W/6 ) issued on 6 June 2023;  
11. We recognize the role of the WTO Secretariat and in particular of the WTO Trade and Gender 
Unit in supporting and facilitating Members' work on trade and gender, including the technical 
assistance provided and we encourage WTO del egates involved in developing, negotiating and 
implementing trade policies at the WTO to upskill themselves on these issues;   
12. The Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender established in 2020 ( WT/L/1095/Rev1 .) 
provides a solid platform in supporting WTO Members in making trade work for women and fostering 
growth and development through women's increased engagement in trade and economic 
empowerment;   
13. In particular, through our work, we have:  
13.1. Increased WTO Members' capacities to develop gender -responsive policies;  
13.2. Focused our technical work on essential issues pertaining to trade and gender such as 
gender -sensitive data collection methods and models, market access supporting measures for 
women entrepreneurs, gender -responsive trade policies and free trade agreements;  
13.3. Started to explore the links between WTO agreements/negotiations and gender 
equality;  
13.4. Established new collaborative work with the MSME Group and Trade and 
Environmental Structured Dis cussions (TESSD);  
13.5. Created new connections with key external stakeholders (including women 
entrepreneurs and business leaders) and other international organizations working on gender 
equality such as: UN Women, World Intellectual Property Organization  (WIPO) and United 
Nations Economic Commission for Europe /UNECE) , Organisation for Economic Co -operation 
and Development (OECD), World Bank  (WB) and United Nations Economic Commission for 
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), benefiting from their re search and field experience;  
13.6. Promoted existing relations with trade related organizations such as ITC (International 
Trade Centre) through its various SheTrades Initiatives and United Nations Conference on 
Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  
14. Based on the se achievements, as Co -Chairs, we are resolutely determined to continue and 
intensify our work on trade and gender with the support of the Members of the Informal Working 
Group on Trade and Gender, including through the following actions:  
14.1. Carry on th e implementation of the Rolling Work Plan 2023 -2024 with a practical 
approach and facilitating collaborative work between WTO Members;  
 
14.2. Continue establishing synergies with other groups and regular committees in the WTO, 
in a crosscutting manner, and  further enhance work on Aid for Trade, to facilitate gender 
mainstreaming in the WTO;  
 
14.3. Engage  our respective  governments  to include  our trade  policies  supporting  women  
economic  empowerment  in our future  trade  policy  review  reports,  setting  best practice,  and 
encourage  other  Members  to do the same  as part of their own trade  policy  review;  
 WT/MIN(24)/6  
 
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  14.4. Foster  and broker  a substantive  outcome  on gender  equality,  ahead  of or at the 
14th WTO Ministerial  Conference  (MC14),  that contributes  to promoting  gende r equality  in 
trade  and mainstream  gender  in Members'  trade  policies,  practices  and negotiations.  This 
substantive  outcome  will include  inter alia: 
 
14.4.1.  Sharing  experiences  on gender -responsive  policies  in achieving  sustainable  
socioeconomic  development  and the promotion  of inclusive  economic  growth;  
 
14.4.2.  Specific  initiatives  and tools Members  could utilise  in adopting/strengthening  
gender -responsive  policies.  
 
14.5. Promote  the inclusion  of specific  gender  dispositions  or chapters  in bilateral  or 
plurilateral  trade agreements;  
 
14.6. Continue  to work with Members  and international  organisations  to review,  develop  and 
improve  national  and/or  regional  gender -disaggregated  data collection  and analysis,  to inform 
gender -responsive  policies;  
 
14.7. Provide  opportunities  to engage  and consult  with external  stakeholders  such as women -
led/owned  businesses  and entrepreneurs,  business  networks,  civil society  and women’s  rights  
organisations  on issues  pertaining  to trade and gender  equality;  
 
14.8. Continue  to share  research  initiatives  to inform  trade  policy  instruments  and 
programmes  to support  women's  economic  empowerment  and increase  their participation  and 
leadership  in international  trade  to promo te gender  equality.  
 
 
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